Need help interpreting KH/GH results

James0816

James0816

AC Members
Feb 14, 2007
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I finally got my drop test kit for test the KH and GH. Not an easy thing to do (for me).

Do you add drops until you get a hint of yellow and green?

For the GH, my water never turned orange like the directions said it would. After three drops I have a very light green color. Is that the color I am looking for or should it be a very obvious color?
 
Keep adding the drops, the water will change color twice..
If I remember correctly, it will change from clear to blue, then to orange...

I had to add 18 drops to get my GH to change.
 
ok...i'm gonna throw up some numbers from a couple tanks and the well.

10g (test tank): temp 79, ph 7.4, kh 4 (71.6), gh 3 (53.7) - Want to try DIY CO2 on this one

29g: temp 76, ph 7.4, kh 3, gh 6

From the well: ph < 6, kh 3 (never turned blue first), gh 2

yellow's and green's aren't bright but noticable.

So...if someone can help decypher these to good/bad/indifferent....that would be great.
 
anyone?
 
Wow,
Your Ph is less than 6?
Where do you live?

That is pretty acidic from my understanding, and with GH of 2 and KH of only 3 your water must be very soft. My guess would be that you'll wave to fertilize your plants to get favorable resuts...

Are you sure those results are correct? Even with a water softener, my hardness is not that low. Later, when I get home from work, I'll look at my test and see how it works again... I remember you add drops and it turns blue, add more drops, and it changes to another color...great conditions for many fish, and not so great for other fish.

Looks like you have very soft, acidec water..
 
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My kit (Tetra) has you add drops for a color change. First you fill the vial with 5ml of water, then add one drop at a time. The number of drops to produce a change is the actual KH or GH.

If I remember correctly, the GH changes from red to green? The KH changes from blue to yellow?

Anyway, those results look skewed somehow, and possibly wrong. It says that you have very acidic water and very soft water as well....

There's a user on here, KarlTh that knows a considerable amount about water quality and it's chemical makeup.
If I were you I'd PM him and ask him to participate in this thread.........
 
I used the API testers.

As directed...KH...add drops until it goes from blue to yellow. shaking the 5ml tube after every drop.

GH...add drops until it goes from orange to green.

I've never tested for GH/KH before which is why I was asking for help on interpetting the results.

Ziggy...I'm in VA and have well water...explains a lot. It is a shallow bored well ~ 70-80'. Very old....been on the property for a coons age.
 
Umm, I know you said you have a well but do you also have a Home Water Softener?

Well water is usually hard, not soft, but I guess it depends on where you live. In Virginia, unless you're on the coast, I would think your water supply to be hard.
 
No water softener. I'll test again later today just to verify but that's how I read it. Are there any particular "shades" of the yellow and green I should be looking for or just as soon as it goes from blue to yellow and orange to green regarless of the tinting of it?
 
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